[itvt] Kicks Off the 7th Annual TV of Tomorrow Show With the First-Ever tvot^ Hackathon -- A Challenge to Invent the TV of Tomorrow

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jun 18, 2013) - [itvt], the most widely read and trusted news source on multiplatform interactive and social TV, today announced it will hold its first-ever tvot^ Hackathon, kicking off its upcoming TV of Tomorrow Show (TVOT) in San Francisco. The "pressure-cooker" environment of a hackathon will add an element of real-time innovation to the show, while bringing together some of the smartest developers to tackle the next generation of the TV experience. Significantly, the tvot^ Hackathon will take place in the very building where electronic television was created in 1927 by Philo Farnsworth.

The Hackathon will feature a range of prizes including a grand prize of $5,000, sponsored by Dolby, a $2,000 API prize from Gracenote, and a $1,000 API prize from Samsung Developers. Other companies offering TV's, tablets, smartphones and other prizes include Nuance, DirecTV, PayPal, TMS, LG Electronics, Sony, zeebox and more.

WHO: TVOT teamed with Gracenote, Ignite Video and Mashery to organize the hackathon, along with sponsors from the most influential companies shaping the TV of tomorrow, including, Dolby, PayPal, DirecTV, CableLabs, Samsung Developers, Leap Motion, Nuance Communications, TMS, LG Electronics, Pemberley Digital ("The Lizzie Bennet Diaries"), Sony, zeebox, and more.

The Hackathon will feature APIs and content from these companies and is open to "hackers" of all kinds, including coders, but also front-end and motion-graphic designers, content visionaries, business visionaries, students, storytellers, filmmakers and others.

WHEN: The tvot^ Hackathon will last 36 hours, and food, drink and snacks will be provided. The official hours are 9am PT on June 22^nd - 5pm ET on June 23^rd. A true hackathon pushes through the night!

WHAT: The first-ever tvot^ Hackathon will kick off the internationally recognized TV of Tomorrow Show in San Francisco. This newly added event will bring together hackers and creatives to envision and build the TV of Tomorrow.

Once participating hackers have completed a prototype or real implementation, they will be asked to pitch it to a panel of judges who will select the finalist projects that will be showcased at TVOT 2013 (June 25th-26th).

WHERE: 202 Green Street, San Francisco -- now the headquarters of Ignite Video and the exact location where Philo Farnsworth invented television.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Tracy Swedlow at swedlow@itvt.com or visit http://hack.tvot.tv.

FOR TICKETS: Visit http://hack.tvot.tv. Registration is free, but spaces are limited so act quickly! 

About Interactive TV Today:

Founded in 1998 by Tracy Swedlow and co-owned by Richard Washbourne, Interactive TV Today [itvt] is the most widely read and trusted news source on the rapidly emerging medium of multiplatform, interactive and social television (ITV). We provide concise, original coverage of industry developments, technologies, content projects, and the people building the business to our readership, which is made up of hundreds of thousands of executives from around the world.